Method of forming picot edges in stockings



Feb. 2, 1932. G. E. coTTRl-:LL

METHOD OF FORMING PICOT EDGES IN STOCKINGS Filedl Dec. l5, 1930 gif?Patented Feb. 2,1932

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE E. COTTRELL, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.,ASSIGNOR TO ROLLINS HOSIERY MILLS, OF

` DES MOINES, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

METHOD OF FORMING PICOT EDGES IN STOGKINGS lwApplicationled December 15,1930.. Serial No. 502,474.

The object of my invention is to provide a method whereby an ornamentalpicot edge may be formed at the top of so-called full fashionedstockings by automatic machinery without any hand work, and in suchmanner that the upstanding loops forming the picot edge will all be ofuniform height, presenting andattractive and ornamental appearance; anFurther in this connection to provide a method by which this desiredresult may be produced inexpensively.

My invention consists in the arrangement and combination of the varioussteps of the 15 method -by which the objects contemplated are attained,as hereinafter more Ifully set forth, pointed out in my claim, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows aperspective View of the upper or welt portion of a full fashionedstocking, having a portion of the upper edge thereof illustrating thepicot edge.

AFigure 2 shows an enlarged sectional view on the line 2 -2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged detail sideelevation of a portion of theupper edge of the stocking illustrating the picot edge; and

Figure 4 shows a fabric laid out flat an illustrating the tuckedstitches in alternate rows formed therein to produce the picot edge whenfolded along the central line through the tucked stitches.

In practicing my improved method I form the welt portion on a circularknitting machine in the form of an inturned hem. I )uring the first partof this knitting process, one edge of' the welt is, held stationary ontransferring jacks, while the knitting of the welt is completed by a setof needles, and during this knitting process the welt is made 1n theform of an YVinturned hem, free edge of the inner Welt member 10 isknitted to the outer'welt member 11, leaving a portion of the outer weltmember projecting below the lower edge `of thev innerwelt member, asillustrated in Figure 2 at 12. v

During the above described knitting process, I so arrange the needles ofthe circular knitting machine that when the central por ortion of theknitted and then the tion of this web member is being knit, the needleswill form a tucked stitch on each alternate Wale. These tucked stitchesare formed along a plurality of courses, preferably three, along acentral line between the inner and outer welt members.A In forming thesetucked-stitches the knitting machine is operated as follows:

On the first course of the tucked stitches, one course of stitches isknitted on each alternate needle, and in the second lcourse of stitchesone course is knitted on every needle, and in the third course ofstitches one course is knitted on every other needle, and at the sametime jacks radially and horizontally disposed in line-with the inactiveneedles are brought into position to make loops at the knitting point,and these loops are held on said jacks until the welt fabric iscompleted. l

These jacks are then moved to position where each alternate needle willpass through the loops held by the jacks, and the jacks then removed,thus completing the welt.

When the welt portion is completed, it may be transferred to a flatknitting machine, and the stocking is completed on a flat knittingmachine to form a full fashioned'stocking in the ordinary manner.

I am aware that heretofore picot edges have been-formed on stockin s bythe use of tucked stitches, but this has eretofore been done on a flatknit fabric and then thefabric is folded over by hand along the centralline of row of tucked stitches, which is a .very delicate operation andrequires a great deal of time and skill and substantially adds to theexpense of the completed stocking, whereas with my improved method, Ihave demonstrated in practice that the welt ortion will, during theordinary course ofV andling and packing the stockin for shipment, becomeaccurately folde along the central line of the tucked stitches, and willproduce a completed stocking in which all of the loops between thetucked stitches will be of .equal length and will stand straight up, andthe tucked stitches will form depressions between these upstandingloops, presenting tt the eye the appearanceof a perfect picot e ge.

I have demonstrated in practice that these stockings with the picot edgemade by my improved method may be completed without any appreciableadded expense above that ordinarily required for producing similarstockings having plain upper edges.

I claim as my invention:

The method of automatically forming a picot edge on non-rib stockings,'which con- 50 sists of first knitting the Welt portion'of the stockingon a circuiar knitting machine in the form of an inturned hem, andduring the knitting of the central portion of the inturned hem formingtucked Stitches on 15 spaced apart wales along a number of courses, andinally automatically during the said machine operation knitting thelower edge of the inner Welt member to the outer Welt' member along aline whichbrings the :zo exact central line of the tucked stitches tothe top edge of the stocking.

Des Moines, Iowa, December 6, 1930.

GEORGE E. COTTRELL.

